So my kit is being shipped and the tools are in route. I am trying to get a handle on all the little things I need to have on hand. I would like to be able to hit the ground running and don't want to lose time to unforeseen items that I don't have on hand. Any help would be great.
 
Welcome to VAF!

Chad, welcome to VAF:D

Tell us what your shop is like-----------with winter approaching and the kit and tools on the way, it might be best to start with making sure the work area is ready to make for pleasant building.

Good lighting, good temperature control, good air supply. That kind of thing.

Building a plane is like building a house, the foundation is kinda important:rolleyes:
 
Well Mike, I have been cleaning up the shop area and think I am in good shape. I am hoping to take advantage of the winter holiday season for some extra build time.
 
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you are going to lose all kinds of time...especially during the tail. You'll spend quite a bit of time Lowes/Home Depot/Tractor Supply while you pick up files and bits and blades and gloves and hammers (dead blow, rubber and plastic) and acetone and/or MEK and space heaters and more lights and....

The list goes on and on. I will say this, by the time I got into my wings I had pretty much everything I was going to need. The trips stopped being hourly and went to weekly.

...twine and primer and batteries and nuts and bolts and pipe wrenches and glue and paper and blue sharpies and two different types of duct tape and plastic sheeting and beer.
 
You'll also need Aircraft Spruce bookmarked in your web browser. I try to save up at least $15 to $20 worth of materials before placing an order to avoid multiple shipping charges. Their shipping prices are pretty low already, if you select USPS. :)
 
...and the tools are in route.

Did you buy a "kit"? If so, which one?

I have a lot of little specialty tools that I use, some that I made. You never quit buying tools during one of these projects. You may as well head down to the tool aisle at HD or Lowes and just begin throwing stuff into a basket! You'll buy it all sooner or later.
 
I guess I need to provide a little more info. I ordered an 8a kit. I have tried to go through the whole build in my mind. ( I bought the preview plans 2 years ago). I am building a 200hp motor as we speak. I think I have the avionics figured out. I am going with the Garmin 2 tube 3x with AoA and Garmin autopilot. The stack will consist of a pair of GTN 650's with remote transponder and ADS-B and a PSE audio panel. I have used the CNC machine to cut a panel just to check the layout. ( note: if anyone would like their panel CNC cut let me know we have all the RV templates, I can also help with the avionics side of things, questions, suggestions, wiring and equipment) LED lighting and a 406 MHz ELT. As far as tools go, I am probably a little better off than some. I am mechanical by nature and do all our house/car maintenance. I am an A&P/ IA by trade and work in the avionics business. I was lacking in the sheet metal department at home, so I ordered up the kit from Isham ( don't want to have to drag stuff back and forth from work) The compressor noise would be a problem, it will run everyone out of the garage. I moved it into the unfinished/ crawl space adjacent to my tool room and ran an extra hose with moisture trap. I know trying to be well prepared will still leave me unprepared. So I am trying to compile a list of things that might not be obvious to someone starting a project. As with most of you,build time is precious and I want to hit the ground running. Thanks for your suggestions.
 
1 inch scotchbrite wheels

One of the most important purchases I made in saving me lots of time with deburring aluminum was the 1 inch scotchbrite wheel for the dremmel.

The product code is Dremmel 500. If you google it, you will see it sold in many locations.

Just picked up another 20 of them at $5 a piece.
 
If I had it to do again, I would spend about $50 (if that much) and order 1/4 lb each of all normal rivet sizes and a drawer type bin to store them in. I'd also order about 25 of each of the #6 and #8 screws. That would accomplish two things:

1. keep you from running out, and
2. Keep you from having to go through each of the multitude of bags and sort the rivets and screws in most of them.

-John

So my kit is being shipped and the tools are in route. I am trying to get a handle on all the little things I need to have on hand. I would like to be able to hit the ground running and don't want to lose time to unforeseen items that I don't have on hand. Any help would be great.
 
I concur on the varieties of rivets & screws and handy bins to store them in. Here are the ones I bought early on. I store a certain type of fastener in each bin:
Nuts
Washers
Blind Rivets
AN426AD3 Rivets
AD4 (both AN470 & 426) Rivets
NAS1097 Rivets
Screws
Bolts
Misc small parts

Larger bins for screws, bolts, small parts: Stack-On 17 Compartment bins
Smaller ones for washers, rivets, etc: Stack-On 13 Compartment Bins

This way, I can carry all of one type of rivet around with me. Knock on wood, but I have not yet dumped an entire collection of rivets on the floor. :)

17 Compartment Bin:
17-compartment-stack-on.jpg


13 Compartment Bin:
13-compartment-stack-on.jpg
 
Well John I just loaded a 24 inch parts pin in the truck, an extra that was laying around unused, that should be perfect for rivet and hardware bins. Based on what I have heard so far, I picked up a bunch of clamps from the dollar bin at Home Depot, scotch brite pads, MEK. Apparently primer is going to be needed quickly. What is everyone using? Are you priming the entire interior or just mating surfaces? A continued thanks for the incoming advice!
 
My wife has been asking for my Christmas list. So I will get y'all's thoughts. I was thinking Home Depot gift cards. It sounds like I will be making a lot of trips there.
 
Many of us use the Duplicolor Self Etching primer from O'Reilly Automotive stores. I'm in the group that prefers to only prime mating surfaces of alclad. All surfaces of non alclad.
 
what tools

get an averys cataloge or any other supplyers page through it and ask yourself what that tool is used for and will i need it. when you know what it is used for you can deside if you want it or not there is diferent ways to get the same result. some people love certain tools i have no use for and they think the way i do things is stupid but the end is are the results what you want. just a list of tools i need but would not be in a kit are. 12 inch and 6 inch long drills in #40 and #30, an adel nibbler (you can cut metal with no distortion) every yoke they make has a use but do you want to pay for all of them. lots of clamps, a way to get rivets out that are bad (punches) i like a steamboat block and the inserts in # 40 30 3/16 1/4 , reamers in the common sizes, mirrors. a magnet on a stick, an center punch, a lot of little wood pieces to use to drill into or under clamps, I have some wood blocks i can clamp next to a rivet hole and there is a grove cut in the block of wood that matches my bucking bar and i can use the wood as a guide for my bar while i drive the rivet (something to steady the bar while i consentrate on the gun) a way to dimple in the center of the skins,
 
more

averys has an oops rivet kit it comes with two sizes in three lenght i use the large size to fix bad number 3 holes and the small size to attach nut plates were the skin is thinner then .032 you can cut the counter skin by hand the head is so small on the rivet, files to clean the edges of the skin, i use a 1/4 drill bit to debur holes, some short clecos if you have a longeron yoke you can squeeze rivets over the cleco, a dimple set that uses a pop rivetter to create the dimple, a good fluting plyers. i like a countersink stop that has a small diameter as often there is something next to the hole that gets in the way, if you have a way to get a thick heavy chunk of steel use it to back rivet on. i like the vicegrip clamps that are built on a vicegrip plyers frame, you will either grind the edge off a dimple die to get in a corner or else buy the small diameter female die, 6 inch 12 inch rulers and larger, round files to clean up corners and move holes, i find uses for a few 1/16 inch clecos and a few extra long clecos, some fine thread nuts to temperarily hold your bolts, cut a few screws to temperarily hold nut plates in place without getting into the lock portion of the nut plate,
 
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Nutplate rivet hole drilling dies are also quite handy.

And if you don't want to drill so many holes to hold nutplates on or there's risk of distorting skin when adding a nutplate, use Click-Bond products. They have nutplates, studs, zip tie anchors, etc. that are all bonded on with adhesive. I used their wing tip kit to attach my tips. 152 fewer holes to drill and machine countersink in fiberglass. :) But they are expensive.

http://theflightshop.com/Cataspx65.html
http://theflightshop.com/PDFDocs/ka100e2cn614cr06p.pdf